April Fools!

Well that's just great! Just fantastic. For about the last two weeks we have had the most gorgeous weather, such a welcome relief from the arctic conditions of our winter this year. This coming Saturday is our 2nd annual Easter Egg Hunt. Last year we had around 1,000 show up to hunt eggs. It really was a phenomenal turn out since we had never done an egg hunt before and only started planning, organizing and advertising a month before the event. All in all it was awesome.

I expected as much, if not more this year. Of course I couldn't just let what happened last year go by without upping the ante. You know you have to make it bigger and better each year. This year was going to be no exception. We had inflatable games planned, balloon artists, popcorn, Easter bunny, the Bunny Hop for Pete's sake. It is going to be awesome. That is unless the weather continues to tank like it is right now. As I'm typing we are getting light snow flurries and mixed with rain. Mother Nature can be a really hussy some time.

I obsess over small details and more over the opinions of those who attend events I plan. I want no stone to go unturned and really work hard to make sure that everything is done just right. How in the Sam Hill can I control the weather? What the heck am I going to do? Other than deal with it, I want it to STOP!

We have tomorrow for Mother Nature to get her act together and get some good weather to come our way. I'm ok with it being chilly, the chocolate won't melt, the fire ants will be dug down deep to stay warm, the Easter Bunny won't sweat in the costume, cold is not a problem. Cold, rain, and snow is the problem. Geeze Louise!

last year to save money I worked with a realtor in our congregation who had access to mailing addresses based on tax records. Apparently it is public domain. We printed up the database for the zip codes we wanted to target and mailed out a postcard. I thought I had really done something fancy and about to pat my self on the back when my pants go kicked.

We were about three days away from the event and I was coming into the church building from lunch when this huge old Cadillac pulled into our parking lot and honked. Horns on old Cadillac's could signal fog to ships at sea, they are loud and obnoxious things. The gentleman driving the car was obviously allowing himself to slowly decay. He was unshaven, several days unshaven. His white hair had a permanent couch pillow cow lick, and his clothes gave away every single thing he had eaten for the three days he had been wearing that same shirt. "Where's the pastor of this place?" "...I'm a minister here, can I help you?" "You can start by telling me how you got into my trust fund?" Trust fund? Who was this guy and why would he think a church was getting into anything of his? "Sir I can assure you we are not getting into your trust fund." "Liar, what do you call this?" He showed me a postcard that was addressed to: Grumpy Old Man Trust, blah blah address, blah blah city, OK. The tax records we used listed the home owners which meant that his trust owned the house not him and that his Trust name would appear. "Sir, this is who owns the house I can assure you we are not getting into your trust, we don't need your money." That is when he started cussing and telling me that I was a thief and trying to steal his money. I knew I was getting nowhere with him so I just smiled and told him how sorry I was.

"You are all thieves. You want my money...here." That is when he threw a dollar bill out the window at me and speed off. No, I did not pick up the dollar I just let it blow into the wind. I'm sure it was put toward the purchase of cheap wine for the homeless folks that frequent our street.

I'm hoping nothing like that happens this year but would hope even more that the weather cooperates and clears up just long enough to make our day awesome and fun. Is that too much to ask?